Alison Abbey Hudak
Contact Alison Abbey Hudak by Email View all posts by Alison Abbey Hudak July 14, 2026
It was an electric night in the Mile High City as Rolling Stone and Sonesta International Hotels hosted the second stop of the 2026 Musicians on Musicians live tour at the Sonesta Denver Downtown. Moderated by Rolling Stone deputy editor and Nashville Now podcast host Joseph Hudak, the event featured live interviews with Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken of Big Gigantic and singer-songwriter Trevor Hall.
Both acts call Denver/Boulder home, making them the ideal ambassadors for this round of Musicians on Musicians, where artists have open conversations about their music and how it’s influenced by their surroundings.
During their panel discussion, the performers were asked to describe what makes a Denver audience different from other audiences, and each said that it’s a willingness to be open to new sounds and genres.
Koury Angelo “This is a great community and a place to try new things,” Lalli, the DJ and saxophone player of the mostly instrumental duo Big Gigantic, said. “It’s just colorful; diverse. A lot of energy and openness.”
“Colorado always feels like people are right there with you and ready to ride the ride,” said Salken, Big G’s drummer. “They’re interactive and it’s so very special. You don’t get that everywhere.”
Hall lauded the locals’ sense of musical versatility. “They can go see a [Grateful] Dead show and then go see an EDM show and then go see a folk show. They’re just down for the experience,” he said. “And that makes us down for the experience too.”
Both Big Gigantic and Hall have played sold-out shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in nearby Morrison, Colorado. The 9,500-seat outdoor venue is known for its stunning landscape and equally stunning musical acts. Surrounded by millions-of-years-old sandstone, the entire amphitheater takes its name from the characteristic reddish colors of the rock formations, a result of oxidized minerals. It’s a concert venue–and an experience–like none other, and only a 20-minute drive from the Denver area.
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“No matter how many times you play it, you’re driving up there and as soon as you see the tips of the rocks, you’re just like, ‘wow, man,’” said Hall. “All of this land is native land, and the ceremonies and the stewards of the land have been here way before the Red Rocks Amphitheater was there. You feel something so special up there.I don’t even feel like I’m the performer when I’m there. It’s like we’re in this collective and we’re all there and we’re all just experiencing this just wild exchange. It’s humbling.”
After the group discussion, it was time for the artists to bring their signature sounds to the Sonesta Denver Downtown ballroom. It was one of the series’ most energizing evenings yet, with a capacity, sold-out crowd dancing to Big G’s jazz-influenced set of electronic and organic sounds, and singing along to Hall’s introspective and spiritually-minded songs like “Bowl of Light.”
The performance wrapped up with an impromptu jam session when Hall called up Lalli to play saxophone on his song “We in a Different Room.”
